Physical Activity in Malaysia: Are We Doing Enough? Findings from the REDISCOVER Study

• Published in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Main Author: Nik-Nasir N.M.; Md-Yasin M.; Ariffin F.; Mat-Nasir N.; Miskan M.; Abu-Bakar N.; Yusoff K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2022
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85144547432&doi=10.3390%2fijerph192416888&partnerID=40&md5=f5094c54c8b2707c225f5f1dbbc3c4ad

Physical activity (PA) in the form of structured or unstructured exercise is beneficial for health. This paper aims to study PA levels across four domains according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and its associated factors. A total of 7479 Malaysian adult participants between 18 to 90 years old from the REDISCOVER study who completed the IPAQ were analyzed. PA was calculated as MET-min per week and were categorized according to insufficiently active, sufficiently active and very active. Multinomial regression was used to determine the association between sociodemographic, clinical factors and the level of PA. The mean age of the participants was 51.68 (±9.5 SD). The total reported physical activity in median (IQR) was 1584.0 (0–5637.3) MET-min per week. The highest total for PA was in the domestic domain which is 490 (0–2400) MET-min per week. Factors associated with sufficiently active or very active PA include Malay ethnicity, no formal education, elementary occupation, current smokers and high HDL. Whereas low income, male and normal BMI are less likely to participate in sufficiently active or very active PA. Intervention to encourage higher PA levels in all domains is important to achieve recommended PA targets. © 2022 by the authors.